Along with the extremely compact electronic TTL capable AF SB-23, SB-24 was also
introduced in 1988 to supplement the AF-Nikon F801 (N8808 in US). The F-801 has a
few very interesting feature in its design at the time of its introduction. Other
than a high speed 3.3 fps built-in power drive, the AF Nikon is equipped with a fast
1/250 sec. flash sync speed which for the first time, offers Matrix-metered TTL fill-in
flash and second curtain sync in a Nikon camera. For the first few months, the F-801
was seemed like a preview to showcase a possible how the next generation of the professional
class Nikon SLR after the Nikon F3 will look like.

While the F-801 was debuted earlier (mid-1988),
the subsequent pro-calibre Nikon F4 which introduced late that year in 1988 and immediately,
all the essential technical features found in the amazing SB-24 can be fully realized
immediately with the Nikon F4 - or in another words, Nikon F4 has a readily available
high performance flash for photographers immediately when it was debuted.

This remarkable Nikon SB-24 TTL Speedlight
offers TTL flash control on most TTL-capable Nikon bodies. It has many advanced features
such as Matrix and Center-Weighted filled-in flash, TTL automatic flash control,
Full power TTL manual flash control with multiple auto settings (five power levels),
six apertures settings in automatic flash,direct and diffusion of power, repeating/stroboscopic
flash capabilities, manual overriding, AF assist infrared beam for low or even total
darkness shooting and a built-in variable zoom head for focal length control. The
SB-24 can synchronize with up to four additional flashes. Head tilts from -7 degrees
below horizontal up to 90 degrees above horizontal, and rotates -270 degrees to plus
180 degrees clockwise.

Similarly, with the Nikon F4 series and other capable Nikon bodies introduced at
a much later stages, rear curtain sync and Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash with
the later Nikon AF cameras such as Nikon F5, F100, F90x, F85, PRONEA 600i or F70
etc. with any AF-Nikkor CPU lens*. With F4-series, F-801s, F-601, F50 or F-401x
and a CPU lense **, it synchronizes well to be used as a dedicated
Speedlight for Matrix Balanced Fill-Flash. But the SB-24 does not support other popular
features found in other later Nikon bodies introduced after F90(x), such as red eye
reduction, FP high speed flash sync, 3D Matrix Multi-Sensor Balance-Fill flash, cordless
slave remote function etc.

In order to accommodate all the sophisticated
features, this features-rich Nikon AF Speedlight has to make use of a LCD display
system helps to aid photographer to control all its various sophisticated functions.
Incidentally, the SB-24 was also the first Nikon electronic Speedlight that carries
a LCD display.

The tiny light sensor that locates
at the front of the flash provides non-TTL auto flash photography. The AF-Illuminator
with IR-LED is for handling AF-assist focusing in low-light situations and it is
automatically turned on by any AF Nikon camera. When using Continuous AF-Servo or
Manual mode, the AF assist function will not be operative. But with certain capable
Nikon SLRs, it will automatically activates. Depending on camera models, manual flash
can be in TTL or full manual with adjustment to its light intensity as well. Flash
Compensation> when used the SB-24 on 8808s/F90(x) and other Nikon bodies that
follows + a SB-24 (or 25, SB-26 that follows) automatic flash compensation may occur.
In high contrast situations (outdoors) no compensation is used. In low-contrast situations,
compensation may be reduced. Manual flash compensation occurs when you make the head/shoulders
symbol on the SB-24/25 flash. Dial in +1 to -3 compensation. This overrides any automatic
compensation. Note: red-eyes reduction is not provided in the SB-24.

One of the main advantage
presents in Nikon flash photographic system is forward and backward system compatibility.
All Nikon AF Speedlights can be used on all Nikon SLRs individually and/or in combination.
In a typical complex direct/off-camera multiple flash setup, all flash units can
still retaining full metering and exposure control with virtually all Nikon AF SLRs.
The connection depends on whether what you intend to achieve, they can be direct
and/or via flash coupler(s), slave units as well as TTL sync cords.

The flash can be regarded as the first
Nikon AF-TTL super-flash and has really leapfrogged Nikon into the catabult of being
the pioneer in flash technologies At the time of its introduction, the many embedded
functions in features that centered around TTL-Matrix fill flash and secondary supporting
features such as full featured, all information LCD control panel, rear curtain sync,
automatic zoom heads, flash exposure compensation, multi-sync terminals, auto/manual
override control and the ability to accept a few external power sources has opened
up many possibilities in flash photography never be able to experience before in
a Nikon system. The F801 and the F4 series were the first batch of Nikon bodies that
have truly benefited from the SB-24, the camera/flash combinations can interface
each other in flash exposure control and a viewfinder signals system to alert and
inform photographer of the status of the flash and/or exposure during shooting. The
fill-flash is the main "essence" and selling point for the flash (and for
the related Nikon camera as a whole) it is a function that balance the flash output
with the ambient light for optimal, natural photography and everything is set automatically
when a capable Nikon body/lense/flash is used in combination with various exposure
modes set in the camera. However, the only issue is (apply to other flash unit),
the SB-24 operates with each Nikon AF camera body differently (it is more simple
when used with a MF Nikon), however, if your expectation is just only confined to
autofocus only, that is more straight forward and easier but if , say if you are
using an older Nikon AF SLR such as F401 or F601 etc. many of the advance features
the flash offer may not be applicable and functional to work with those bodies, so
be very alert of what can your camera offers first with this flash before commit
to give yourself a threat. The SB-24 was eventually replaced with Nikon SB-25 TTL Speedlight in 1993 with some enhanced flash features to
support some of the newer series of Nikon SLR cameras.

One interesting aspect in terms
of design of the SB-24 is centered at the flash head. It can zoom, maneuvered at
all directions, the flash head can tilt up and swivels for bounce lighting to any
angle (which includes 180° backward). There are two sync terminal
which can also make use for off-camera and/or connections with other Nikon Speedlights
in a multiple flash photography setup. The infra-beam emission/receiving capability
also enable the Speedlight to run as master and/or secondary flash via Wireless Slave
Flash Controller SU-4. Note: TTL remote or TTL multi-flash sync cords and AS-10 Adapter
(If using more than three flash units)

Zoom
setting

Horizontal

Vertical

24mm

78°

60°

28mm

70°

53°

35mm

60°

45°

50mm

46°

34°

70mm

36°

26°

85mm

31°

23°

Flash settings

1 / 1

1 / 2

1 / 4

1 / 8

1 / 16

Zoom head settings: 24mm, 28mm,
35mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 85mm coverage (automatic power zoom)Number of flashes: Approx. 100 at full manual with alkaline-manganese, 40
with NiCd and between 200-400 with the SD-7 battery pack.

W A R N I
N G: The
New G-SERIES Nikkor lenses have
no aperture ring on the lense, they cannot
adjust aperture(s)when
operating in manual exposure control even with certain earlier AF Nikon SLR camera
models. Similarly, not ALL features provide
in a modern AF-S series AF-Nikkor lenses can be utilized fully with a Nikon F4. Please
refer to your local distributor for compatibility issue(s).

PLEASE NOTE: Complimentary links are appreciative
but it is not necessary, I have limited bandwidth here in this server... So, PLEASE
don't distribute this URL to any bulk mailing list or unrelated user-groups, just
be a little considerate, thank you. (The more you distribute, the slower this server
will response to your requests...). I am NOT a Nikon nor Nikkor expert, so don't
send me any mails, use the Message Board Instead. While the content prepared herein
should be adequate for anyone to understand and evaluate whether you should invest
into a used Nikon F4 pro-camera system for your kind of photography. Well, IF you
like what you have seen so far, please help to perfect this site by reporting any
broken links or any errors made.

Credit: ChuckHester, US for his patience, encouragement
and help to setup the various content in this site;RobertJohnson for some of his original
images on the F2H-MD appeared in this site; my ex-staff, KiaSu for his superb
3-D logo appeared in this Nikon F2 site;Marc Vorgers from Holland who
generously provide me with some of his images of F2AS; MCLau®, who has so much time with me
to re-edit the content in this site and not to mention buying a Nikon Coolpix 990
just for this site; Paul
Armstrong (pkared@ameritech.net) for his explantion
of the FF2 Slidemagic and Nikon F2 Pin CameraKeatPhoto, Kuala Lumpur for providing their Nikon F2A
to take some images for this site;
Mr EdwardNgoh the
great camera collector who provides us his collection of F2AS with MD-2; hawkeye.photographic.com
for their images on the Speed Magny film backs;SeanCranor for his image
on Nikon F2 25th Anniversary Model; TedWengelaar®,Hollandfor his continuous
flow of input on some of the early Nikon bodies; Genesis-Camera for granting permission to use an image
of the SS-F2 camera;
Mr Sover
Wong,
Australia for those great images of his rare F2 Gold;CYLeow ®, photo editor of
the Star newspaper, Malaysia for some of his images used in this site. Ms Rissa
Chan,
Sales manager from Shriro Malaysia who has helped to provide some of the very useful
input. HiuraShinsaku®,
Nikomat ML, Japan for some of his images on various F2 models; my staff, Wati, Maisa, Mai and my nephew, EEWyn®, who volunteered and helping me
did so many of the film scanning works; Hong-sien
Kwee
of Singapore for all the Nikon F2 Pin camera images appeared in this site;Luigi
Crescenzi for many of his images on the Nikon F2 Titan; John for two of his images of
the Nikon F2/T used in this site; Contributing
photographers or resellers: Jen Siow, Foo KokKin, Arthur Teng, Mark Fallander,John
Ishii, EdHassel, YoonKiKim, Jean-Louis, M.Dugentas (Dell Corner.com.), Mr "Arsenall", Yang Zi Xiongand a few images mailed
in from surfers with no appropriate reference to their origin. Note:certain content and
images appeared in this site were either scanned from official marketing leaflets,
brochures published by Nikon and/or contribution from surfers who claimed originality
of their own work to publish in this site based on educational merits. The creator
of this site will not be responsible for any discrepancies that may arise from such
possible dispute except rectifying them after verification."Nikon", "Nikkormat", "Nippon Kokagu
KK"
& "Nikkor" are registered
tradename of Nikon Corporation Inc., Japan. A site made with an Apple IMac.